What's Up!?

So, I've been completely busy with my etsy party plans, that I haven't posted in a while. I thought whoever is out there may want to know the happenings of my life in North Pole.

Mama Bird:
STRANGE thing about her...After being attacked by Mommy Bird AND Daddy Bird several times, I was never able to take pictures of the growing babies. I am slightly concerned about their fate, however. One day, I found a small pile of teeny birdy feathers in the yard. :( Noticing that both parental bird had been away for a while, I checked the nest and found it void of life. One, still-born egg lies in it still. I don't know why, but it just makes me sort-of sad.



Garden:

I am happy to report that my thumb is quite green these days! The tomatoes are flowering along with the peas. The Potatoes are requiring new dirt daily, and the broccoli is getting so leafy! ~Can anyone tell me when it will turn into sprouts?~ Carrots, strawberries, and herbs are good, and scallions abundant! Overall, I am very pleased with the gardening progression. I am slightly disappointed at the availability of garden soil, however. No one has any! Home Depot, Lowe's, Fred Meyer-it's all gone! My poor cabbages may not move into the garden at all!


BABY GABEY:

Last week, Gabe caught a little cold. Unfortunately for his premature lungs, a little cold becomes a big ordeal rather quickly. We spent the better half of last weekend in and out of the hospital, but avoided admittance, nonetheless! Though his oxygen was low, and his breathing labored, we were allowed to take care of our little guy at home, giving him breathing treatments via a nebulizer and oral steroids. A week and a half later, he has a runny nose, but is doing MUCH better. The nebulizer is a different story...

Moses:

My beloved "pound puppy" had to go to the doggy doctor for the first time since we got him in 2006. He has some sort of yeast infection on his skin due to allergies. He is most likely reacting to the high levels of pollen and cottonwood this time of year. One-hundred and thirty-one dollars later, we left the vet with special shampoo and started bathing him twice a week. Of course he LOVES this, right!? ;) Well, he isn't a TOTAL waste of fur and money...A couple of days ago, Moses refused to sit in his seat. After much his continual protesting, I went to see if he may have wet the bed and been embarrassed. No wet spots, BUT, I DID find a burned-up outlet behind the chair. The nebulizer plug was completely blackened and the wall was hot. After unplugging it and taping off the outlet, Moses reclaimed his seat. I would like to publicly declare him to be a "good boy!" (this time)

Etsy party:

With only two weeks of planning, my business, MB's, was able to pull off a pretty good craft party! Of course, I had some excellent help from two friends, Tara, and Jennifer. We built a fun, hot-air balloon pinata and stuffed it with candy AND craft supplies! We had a huge cake, mustaches on a stick, and so much more! The infamous crafter, Kate Clark was there with her news-worthy iMaxi for the iPad! SO very funny and clever, Kate was a star at the party! (Once she admitted what her product was, that is! ;) ) All-in-all, it was a great beginning to what I think will be a regular happening around here for years to come!!

Food:

Unfortuantely, there is not a GREAT selection for lower-priced yummy foods to go in the Fairbanks area. BUT, I am hungry and off the Chili's to spend a rediculous amount of money on food to share with me and my hoodlums. Love to all...will blog again soon.~MB

Area Crafters Invited

So, I got totally psyched about this thing Etsy.com is sponsoring. It's a craft party and it's at my house: June 18th and it's open to the public. PLEASE RSVP here: http://www.meetup.com/Etsy-Craft-Party/6803/
AND, invite your friends and ask them to RSVP too!

Someone's been eating my lettuce!

A few days ago, I planted the salad greens in my garden bed. I watered them, and clipped a few leaves for my husband's lunch. The next morning, I noticed that one head was thinner than I remembered making it. I questioned the kids to see if they tried to help. "No." was the answer. I didn't give it anymore thought, figuring it just looked different from pruning, transplanting, etc.

The kids and I walked next-door for a little Vacation Bible School my neighbor is hosting. We were gone for a couple hours. Upon returning, two more heads of lettuce were chewed to bits! A closer look revealed a vole hole!

Though the little rodents are cute as can be, and I protested their death for a year, I will not be sharing my salad with them! I couldn't find any guaranteed natural deterrents online, so traps it is. Ick.

An avid predator trapper in my past, I don't really enjoy catching anything small and cute. Fox, mink, lynx, wolves, no problem. Voles: spare me! John was taking care of the dead ones yesterday (2 in a couple hours), but I woke this morning to find a dead one that I will have to dispose of. Birds, voles, squirrels, mice...they just shouldn't be dead. They should run around and be cute. I suppose, however, if being cute means eating up all of my hard-earned gardening produce, the voles must die.

Mommy Bird

Well, it's been two weeks since the eggs were found. What I have read says babies should be hatched now, but Mommy Bird has NO INTENTIONS of letting me find out! :) I snapped this VERY CLOSE picture last night, and hope to find those babies if I can catch the nest while Mommy is out bug hunting!

My First Love

I recently read something someone wrote about how they loved Alaska so much, had moved away, and now referred to the State as if it was their old boyfriend. I liked this analogy. My first love was certainly this place. Its beauty, its silence, its mystery, its adventure.

Though being a mom has slowed my ability to take off on the spontaneous, crazy adventures of yesteryear, I still enjoy the everyday happenings of my life in Alaska!

I took my kids on a dog-cart run a few nights ago. We were cruising down the dirt road when I told the dogs to "whoa," and the kids to "shh."

(Picture from 2009)

We stopped and listened. To nothing. The quietness of Alaska air is amazing! No freeway traffic, no dogs were barking, no birds chirping, no horns honking, no people shouting; just silence! It sends a thrilling chill through your soul when this happens and I love it!

~I love it "like my first love." I am glad we still love each other. Yeah, we have our conflicts (-50 always brings up a fight), and our disagreements (why so many months of darkness?), but in the end, we were meant for each other: Alaska and me!

Looky What I Found!!

Okay...so I didn't really find them myself, the neighbors' 7 year-old son found them. He ALSO took the eggs out, ran them into his house, and showed his mom! Thankfully, she told him to put the eggs back "right away!" I was still concerned that "Mommy Bird" may not return. The nest is only 4 feet off the ground; perfect height for little boys!
I checked last night, and still, there was no mommy bird. I was sad. I checked again this afternoon, and saw only eggs...BUT, there were three eggs, and yesterday, only two! Mommy Bird had returned!

Tonight, I saw Mommy Bird sitting quietly on the eggs! :)

I can't wait to see little, naked birdies in here soon!

Etsy

I have recently learned of and fallen in love with Etsy.com ! Etsy is an online marketplace for all things homemade! There are so many amazing things on it, I knew it was the perfect place for this Alaskan to buy and sell! Check out my Etsy shop, where you can find all sorts of cool things, like this caribou antler necklace I carved!

Make Your Own Topsy Turvy Planter

I started my plants in March. The happy, little seedlings have grown wonderfully on my kitchen table. I was hoping to get them outside sooner than later, but it's snowing today! Yes, snowing. Not so happy about that. So, due to the snow, here they are, sitting on my table, longing to live outdoors.

Just yesterday, I planted the strawberries. Everything else, I have grown from seeds. I couldn't find strawberry seeds, so I purchased the plants at Holm Town Nursery in Fairbanks. I purchased a Topsy Turvy planter for the tomatoes, but decided to make my own for the strawberries.

• I started with a Parmesan Cheese container. (A milk jug would work too) Also a knife. I left the label on for recycle charm. :)
  








• Cut one hole, staggered from the other sides, on each side of the container.

• Layer the bottom with rocks for drainage.






• Fill with Soil to just below the first hole, then pop the roots through the hole, into the planter. Fill, and plant accordingly. (Like my little helper!? Yes, he is wearing a headband: God bless big sisters!) :-)
  





• Water, and place the lid back on.

It should work as its own, mini greenhouse. Our planting season is VERY short (About May-the end of August) so that's why I planted inside the house in March, hoping to begin my first harvest around June. So, I beg the Lord to remove the snow and bring back 70 degree sunshine! My family wants the dining table back!

Remodeling in Progress

When I started this blog, I wanted it to be "all things Alaska." I wanted to refrain from being too personal, too centered around me and my family. Instead, I wanted it to be open for stories and information about Alaska-things that make this place great. In an effort to keep this the center of the blog, I'll be introducing new material such as how-to articles, featured Alaskan handcrafts, and other Alaskan things. I would like feedback on what else you would like to see here on "Life in Alaska." Why are you following this blog? What is it you want to know about life in AK?

Under Contsruction

Wow, almost a year since I blogged on here. I think it's time for an over-haul....Please Stay Tuned.